By Shoshana Bryen WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs (JINSA) is generally sympathetic to the difficulties faced by Jordan’s King Abdullah II. He is a Hashemite ruling a mostly Palestinian and Bedouin country; an excellent security partner to Israel because Israel ensures that he will not be overthrown by Palestinians who believe [...]
(March 9, 2011) By Barry Rubin HERZLIYA, Israel — Not everyone in the opposition movements in Arab countries are Islamists, of course, but at least outside of Tunisia, where they are also present, they are the most powerful organized force. Here’s an excerpt from the Friday, March 4 sermon of Sheik Isa Qassim, considered the [...]
By Lloyd Levy LONDON — Events are moving rapidly in the Middle East. Nobody knows what turn of events are around the corner, nor in what direction the region is heading. I am one of those people who believe that “Western” style democracy is not possible in devoutly Muslim countries, but limited democracy may be [...]
By Barry Rubin HERZLIYA, Israel — Recently, when I spoke on developments in Egypt, a serious and respected Middle East expert claimed that there was no sign of anti-American or anti-Israel slogans in Egypt or Tunisia during their revolutions. Really? This is simply not true. The fact that a Jewish prayer room was burned down in [...]
JERUSALEM (Press Release) – Research carried out at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem shows that it was possible already in 2008 to predict that countries such as Egypt and Iran were headed for dangerous periods of instability because of citizens’ demands for democratization. The researchers were able to make this observation on the basis of a [...]
BRUSSELS (WJC)–Jordanian King Abdullah has stressed the need for inter-faith dialogue in order to build bridges of tolerance and understanding between different cultures. In a speech to leaders of the European People’s Party in Brussels, attended by 20 European presidents and prime ministers as well as the heads of EU institutions, Abdullah emphasized the need [...]
By Barry Rubin HERZLIYA, Israel –Here’s an old joke that applies to the contemporary Middle East. The Lone Ranger was a Western lawman who chased bad guys with his friend, a Native American named Tonto. One day, they were surrounded by dozens of Native American warriors. The Lone Ranger turned to Tonto and said, “Don’t [...]
AQABA, Jordan (WJC)–A Jordanian woman has gained fame in her country after refusing to receive a group of Israeli tourists at her restaurant in Aqaba, Jordan’s Red Sea resort bordering the Israeli city of Eilat. Several professional associations and rights organizations in Jordan praised the action taken by Salwa al-Barghouti when she decided to kick [...]
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Press Release) — U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Jordan’s Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh, along with Daniel Yohannes, chief executive officer of the Millenium Challenge Corporation, signed an agreement on Monday, Oct. 25, to upgrade Jordan’s water supply in the Zarqa area. Following is a text of comments made at that ceremony: MR. [...]
By Donald H. Harrison LA MESA, California – Emad Ahmed Fuad Nuseibeh, a major Palestinian grower of vegetables and herbs, and Amir Gur-Lavie, an owner of Zeta, a large distributor of Israeli olive oil, cheerfully agreed to pose together following a dinner at Vine Ripe Market here. Nuseibeh and Gur-Lavie smiled warmly like old friends, whereas, in fact, [...]
